China's commodity classification includes 35 categories of food additives, such as flavor enhancers, defoamers, leavening agents, colorants, and preservatives. There are over 10,000 types of food containing additives.
Of these, the "Standards for the Use of Food Additives" and the Ministry of Health's announcements permit the use of 23 categories of food additives, totaling over 2,400 types. 364 types have established national or industry quality standards.
The main categories include acidity regulators, anti-caking agents, defoamers, antioxidants, bleaching agents, leavening agents, base substances in chewing gum, colorants, color-protecting agents, emulsifiers, enzyme preparations, flavor enhancers, flour treatment agents, coating agents, moisture retainers, nutritional fortifiers, preservatives, stabilizers and coagulants, sweeteners, thickeners, food flavorings, processing aids for the food industry, and others.
Preservatives-commonly used ones include sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sulfur dioxide, and lactic acid. These are used in the processing of jams, candied fruits, etc.
Antioxidants-Similar to preservatives, they extend the shelf life of food. Commonly used ones include vitamin C and isovitamin C.
Colorings-Commonly used synthetic pigments include carmine, amaranth, tartrazine, and indigo. They alter the appearance of food, enhancing its appeal.
Thickeners and stabilizers-These improve or stabilize the physical properties of frozen foods, giving them a smooth and delicate appearance. They help frozen foods like ice cream maintain a soft, porous texture for longer.
Leaving agents-Leaving agents are added to some candies and chocolates to promote the production of carbon dioxide from sugars, thus creating a leavening effect. Commonly used leaving agents include sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, and compound leaving agents.
Sweeteners-Commonly used artificial sweeteners include sodium saccharin and cyclamate. Their purpose is to increase sweetness.
What are sugar substitutes and sweeteners?
Acidifiers-Acidifiers are often used in some beverages and candies to adjust and improve flavor. Commonly used bleaching agents include citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, and lactic acid.
Bleaching agents-benzoyl peroxide is the main component of flour bleaching agents. In China, the maximum permitted dosage for addition to flour is 0.06 g/kg. Excessive use of bleaching agents can destroy the nutritional value of flour, and the benzoic acid produced after hydrolysis can damage the liver. Benzoyl peroxide has been banned as a food additive in developed countries such as the EU. my country also banned benzoyl peroxide as a bleaching agent in May 2011.
Flavors-Flavors can be synthetic or natural, and there are many flavor profiles. Various flavored chocolates commonly consumed by consumers widely use various flavorings in their production process to give them their unique flavors.
